Canada has 'abysmal' whistleblower protections, advocates call out Trudeau directly for inaction
Canada ranks among the worst in the world when it comes to protecting whistleblowers, according to a recent report.
The Washington-based Government Accountability Project ranked 61 countries on their whistleblowing protection laws. Canada is tied for last with Lebanon and Norway.
The ranking examined 20 factors, including the ability to report problems safely within a company, protecting identities when it comes to confidential disclosures and the guarantee of not being worse off than before blowing the whistle.
Canada was given just one point out of 20 for having a system in place to review the current law after five years. That five-year review didn’t happen for a decade.
Tom Devine, legal director of the Government Accountability Project, says Canada’s whistleblower law is “weaker than a cardboard shield,” adding that current protections are “more like a tissue paper shield.”
The federal law that does exist only covers public servants, not private citizens.
“Canada is one of the few countries in the world that [has a] national whistleblower law limited to the public sector.” said Devine.
In 2017, Devine appeared before a House of Commons committee that studied Canada’s existing law. Robust new recommendations to enhance protections for whistleblowers were unanimously approved. But, key recommendations have not been implemented.
Devine blames Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“We were rolling towards an upgrade of Canada's whistleblower, a real, comprehensive makeover. But he was elected. Everyone was optimistic. He killed it. And then a few years later, I could understand why, because he was facing scandals of his own,” says Devine.
Trudeau has faced questions about political interference in the SNC-Lavalin Affair and a half-million dollar agreement given to the WE Charity group. Then-ethics commissioner Mary Dawson also found him to be in violation of the conflict of interest act by accepting the gift of accommodation and travelling on a non-commercial aircraft to Aga Khan’s private island.
Canadian whistleblower advocate David Hutton, the senior fellow at Centre for Free Expression, says only public demand will lead to stronger whistleblower protections.
“We have no shortage of scandals, but we just don’t have the pressure because the public has not got sufficiently angry about it or not made the connection that this could be prevented if whistleblowers had protection.”
W5 requested an on-camera interview with Trudeau to respond to the claims. Instead, a statement was provided, claiming that the Government Accountability Project “did not paint an accurate picture of the approach taken in Canada” because it failed to recognize that Parliament can’t impose whistleblowing laws on provincial and municipal governments.
During a press conference on Jan. 12, W5 asked Trudeau about allegations that his personal scandals play a role in Canada’s weak protection of whistleblowers.
“As a government we have consistently stood up for openness and transparency and brought forward reforms that have supported people coming forward to highlight wrongdoing in workplaces or institutions across the country and we will continue to do just that,” said Trudeau.
Hutton says most whistleblowers who come to him are shocked to discover how little protection they have.
“We’re trained to trust government and to believe that official channels will work and justice will prevail. Whistleblowers that come to us are typically far too trusting and not understanding what they’re up against.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
Local Spotlight
Want to boost your trivia score? Learn from these high school trivia whiz kids
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Wilfrid Laurier football player drafted despite only playing 27 games in his entire life
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Federal government bans watercraft from Manitoba lake popular with tourists
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Toronto-area dessert shop featured by Keith Lee forced to move after zoning complaint
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
'Oh Crap!' New exhibit at Canada Science and Technology Museum explores human waste
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
Regina police hope new biometric monitoring system will save lives in detention facility
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.